Welfare Watch - June 04, 2010 - Carrie Steele Pitts Honors a Saint

Yesterday morning, a saint in child welfare died.  Ollivette Allison, the former Executive Director of the Carrie Steel Pitts Home, passed away unexpectedly

 In 1888, a black maid in downtown Atlanta at the Union Railroad Station became concerned about the abandoned babies that were being left at the station.  She would care for these children by taking them home when she left work.  Eventually others caught her vision and helped raise funds to build their first facility called the Carrie Steele Orphan Home.  This home presently is located in the historically African American community of Adamsville.  It has served thousands of abandoned and neglected children over the past 122 years. 

Since that time, only four individuals have held the position of Executive Director.  Ollivette Allison was the latest.  She served for more than 30 years.  The culture of CSPH was Ms. Allison.  She grew up at CSPH.  She became their first social worker.  Ollivette force of personality permeated the care of CSPH.  No one would ever allege that CSPH was an institutional care.  She would often say, "My children know that they are loved."  Love did not mean for her, overlooking bad behaviors.  She took no slack in behavior.  She held the children and the organization to high expectations.  In the day where young black males  are threatened from all sides, she prepared them for a world of leadership, responsibility and accountability. 

Ms. Allison shepherded CSPH through some tough times.  It is facing even tougher times.  CSPH like so many historic child welfare agencies in Georgia is feeling the pinch of changing philosophies of care, shrinking government funding streams, scarcer charitable dollars and fewer children in care. Over the past three years more than 250 licensed residential programs in the state have closed their doors to children. 

CSPH does not want to be another statistic like some many other historic child serving agencies in Georgia.  St. Mary's Home in Savannah with over 150 years of history of serving foster children, closed last week.  Other historic agencies have closed, merged with other organizations or completely quit working with the state as a partners in child welfare. 

The Carrie Steele-Pitts Home had planned to honor Ollivette in person with a Legacy Gala this Saturday at the Georgia Aquarium.  Unfortunately, she will not be able to be there.  Her memory and legacy will survive her for generations to come. 

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Welfare Watch, an email newsletter of the
Georgia Association of Homes
and Services for Children
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http://www.gahsc.org
Normer Adams, Editor
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